Constance

Constance is a strikingly personal and mechanically rich 2D metroidvania that balances intense combat with emotional storytelling. Developer btf delivers a hand-drawn world full of challenge, exploration, and introspection, pushing the genre forward in a year filled with high-profile competition. With its innovative paint-based mechanics and layered narrative, Constance is a rewarding journey for players willing to engage both their skills and emotions.

When I started playing Constance, I had no idea what to expect. Releasing a metroidvania so close to Silksong was a gamble, but I think it paid off. Constance might not be the 30+ hour juggernaut that game is, but it has a heartwarming story and its platforming is excellent. The narrative is amazing, and the unique painting mechanic adds risk, but also rewards strategic thinking, too. You’re also rewarded if you explore, which is important for this type of game. Constance has its caveats, like limited fast travel or the main character not speaking at all during the game. However, those things are by design, and they tie into the game’s approach towards stress and mental health. This is a type of game that can help you rethink some of your choices in life, while also giving you 4-5 hours of intense platforming goodness, and it’s a breath of fresh air for the genre.

Constance is a sleek, elegant, and emotional metroidvania that combines fluid movement, striking visuals, and a well-crafted introspective theme. Despite some hesitation in fully exploring its own ideas and occasional issues with challenges and bosses, the game offers an engaging and personal adventure. It's a great choice for those who enjoy traditional metroidvanias, artistic experiences, and narratives that reflect internal conflicts — a work that, like its protagonist, stands out precisely for trying to balance creation and chaos.

Constance successfully combines the virtues of Hollow Knight and Celeste, resulting in a metroidvania that, even in a post-Silksong world, manages to thrill us.

Although it never really does anything we haven’t seen before, Constance is well-made enough to be worthy of your time, and does enough to earn its place in a crowded genre.

I had a lovely time with Constance. It’s not a lore-intensive metroidvania, it’s not particularly difficult unless the player wishes to test themselves, and it never outstayed its welcome. Among the titanic release of Silksong and other metroidvanias, Constance still managed to make an impression on me. Don’t let this one pass you by.

Constance aims to be a stylish 2D action-platformer with metroidvania elements and a heartfelt story about burnout, mental health, and childhood creativity. Its vibrant art, strong soundtrack, and solid platforming lay a promising foundation, with a dreamlike world that reflects the heroine’s emotional struggles. Unfortunately, the game falters where the genre matters most. While Constance looks and sounds great, it lacks depth, balance, and identity, resulting in a technically competent but ultimately forgettable adventure.

Es un muy buen metroidvania para ser indie y de un estudio chico, lo cual tiene mucho merito, se nota que esta echo con mucho cariño.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I am giving this game a score of 3 mainly due to the boss fights, which I found to be interesting and enjoyable. They are, unfortunately, the only aspect of the game that truly stands out. I also appreciate the concept of burnout. What I find most confusing is the game’s connection to painting. Aside from the protagonist, neither the environments nor the enemies reflect this theme. The developers could have designed levels and enemies centered around painting, or alternatively, made the protagonist a more conventional character. A good example of thematic consistency is Paper Mario, where every element of the game is built around its core **** contrast, the areas in this game feel generic and repetitive, similar to many other titles I have already played. Overall, the experience is quite disappointing.

The opening couple of hours had me rather enjoying the atmosphere and gameplay. I had issues getting my controller to work and eventually ended up just using a joy2key solution (QJoypad for Linux) to map buttons to keyboard controls. As much as I was having a good time, the game abruptly changed to a (poorly done) work simulator for several minutes and absolutely killed the vibe. What a completely stupid, pretentious decision to make instead of just hinting at the connection between the game world and the protagonist's 'IRL' counterpart. It could have been handled much better with a brief cutscene and then let me continue exploring the game world and remaining immersed. I wish devs wouldn't beat me over the head with their personal problems in a game. Subtlety and metaphor go a long way instead of just 'WORK **** OMG SO DEPRESSED YOU GUISE ;_;'